Curtain and attached air seal

ABSTRACT

An air seal gasket for attachment behind window curtains or drapes to reduce the flow of cold downward air currents in the winter and to reduce the flow of warm upward air currents in the summer. The gasket is secured to the rear of the curtain or drape with a pressure adhesive tape or similar continuous fastening device to permit removal for cleaning. Characteristics of the gasket are selected to suit the curtain or drape so that the appearance of the drape from within a room is not affected.

United States Patent 1191 [111 3,857,432, Russell Dec. 31, 1974 [54]CURTAIN AND ATTACHED AIR SEAL 2,871,933 2/1959 Kroger 160/41 [76]Inventor: David E. Russell, 110 Riverside Ave., Jacksonville, Fla. 32202[22] Filed: Dec. 3, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 420,927

[52] US. Cl. 160/124 [51] Int. Cl A47h 1/00 [58] Field of Searchl60/4043,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,646,832 10/1927 Otto160/40 2,122,608 7/1938 Harlow 49/496 2,320,125 5/1943 Goldmerstein160/40 2,608,250 8/1952 Meyer 160/349 Primary Examiner-Peter M. CaunAttorney, Agent, or FirmGeorge H. Baldwin; Arthur G. Yeager 57 ABSTRACTAn air seal gasket for attachment behind window curtains or drapes toreduce the flow of cold downward air currents in the winter and toreduce the flow of warm upward air currents in the summer. The gasket issecured to the rear of the curtain or drape with 1' pressure adhesivetape or similar continuous fastenin, device to permit removal forcleaning. Characteristics of the gasket are selected to suit the curtain0r drape so that the appearance of the drape from within a room is notaffected.

10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures CURTAIN AND ATTACHED AIR SEAL BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION 1. Field of Invention The present invention relates towindow drapes and curtains and more particularly to an accessory airseal gasket to block rising currents of warm air in the summer anddescending currents of cold air in the winter.

2. Description of the Prior Art It is well known to ProfessionalEngineers who design air conditioning and heating systems that risingconvective currents of warm air behind interior window drapes andcurtains add cooling loads to air conditioning systems, and thatdescending currents of cold air add heating loads to heating systemsresulting in higher equipment installation costs and higher operatingenergy costs. In addition, the descending cold air currents in winterproduce puddles of cold air on the surrounding floor causing discomfortto the feet of the room occupants.

The conditions present at windows where the room is protected from solarenergy by means of interior drapes or curtains are described in Chapter22, pages 402 through 406, of the American Society of Heating,Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Handbook ofFundamentals, 1972 Edition. An additional explanation of convective andradiant heat gains is found on pages 422 and 424 of this same reference.On a typical hot afternoon, with a western or southern exposure, apocket of warm air will develop between the window glass and the drapeor curtain. Approximately 58 percent of the solar heat being added tothe room from the window will be in the form of radiant heat, and theremaining 42 percent will be in the form of convective heat. Blockingthe currents of air rising from this pocket will reduce the convectiveheat being added to the room, while allowing the temperature of thepocket of warm air to increase. The increase in temperature of thepocket and drapes in turn, will incur a slight increase in radiant heatto the room and a slight increase in convective heat from the room sideof the drapes, but the total net result will be a decrease in roomcooling load due to increased radiation andconduction of heat outwardsthrough the glass. The exact heat quantities involved depend upon thecharacteristics of the drapes employed and the physical dimensionsinvolved.

The prior art patents found in a search are as follows: US. Pat. Nos.2,298,783; 2,514,316; 2,608,250; 2,619,168; and 2,771,945. Thesepatents, either alone or in any appropriate combination, fail to suggestor teach this invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A principle object of the present invention isto provide gasket air seals behind window or glass wall drapes orcurtains so as to minimize rising or descending currents of air, therebyreducing the cooling load imposed on the room air conditioning systemand reducing the heating load on the room heating system. A top mountedgasket to reduce the summer cooling load alone may be employed, a bottommounted gasket to reduce the winter heating load alonemay be employed,or a combination of both top and bottom mounted gaskets may be employed.

Another principle object of the present invention is to provide a gasketair seal material of light density which can be easily compressed into avery fiat volume when only a very slight pressure is applied, but willreturn back to its original full expanded volume when pressure isreleased, immediately or within a few minutes of the instant at whichthe pressure is released. These characteristics will permit the drapesor curtains to maintain their conventional, undulating appearance,without noticeable distortion, when the drapes or curtains are closed,open or in an intermediate position, and a viewer within the room willbe unaware of the presence of the gasket.

Still another principle object of the present invention is to provideair gasket seals which can be repeatedly added to and removed from thedrapes or curtains to permit cleaning of the curtains without damagingthe gasket material.

Yet another principle object of the present invention is to provide airgasket seals which can be readily added to existing drapes and curtains,and which are sufficiently flexible to permit folding and/or drawingopen of the drapes and curtains.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air gasket sealdesign which, because of its simplicity, can be economically produced byconventional mass production methods and can be easily handled, packagedand distributed.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an airgasket seal which, when warm placed against a glass window .or wall soas to be visible from the outside, will lend itself to decoration andcoloring.

An additional object of the present invention is to conserve energy inair conditioning systems. Energy costs are expected to rise drasticallyin future years, and wasted electrical energy is accompanied by both airpollution and water thermal pollution at power plant sites.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The novel features which are believedto be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularityin the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to itsorganization and method of operation, together with further objects andadvantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1, is an elevational view of typical window drapes in the closedposition with an embodiment of the present invention installed therein;

FIG. 2, is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on the line 11of FIG. 1, or on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a slightly enlarged sectional view taken substantially on theline 33 of FIG. 1, or on the line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4, is a slightly enlarged sectional view taken substantially on theline 33 of FIG. 1, or on the line 44 of FIG. 1, except that the drapesor curtains is shown compressed in a partially opened position;

F IG. 5, is a slightly enlarged sectional view taken substantially onthe line 3-3 of FIG. 1, or on the line 44 of FIG. 1, and differs fromFIG. 3 in that a drape or curtain having only slight undulations orpleats is depicted.

The drawings are illustrations only and changes may be made in thespecific constructions illustrated and described, so long as the scopeof the appended claims is not violated.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, is atypical movable window drape or curtain shown hung in the closingposition. Line 11 is the separation between the left and right halves.Dotted line 12 indicates the outline of a window behind the drape orcurtain. The drape or curtain may be supported at the top on a track orrod with hooks or rings or by other means as are well known. The presentinvention is shown as a gasket assembly affixed to the rear of the drapeor curtain as indicated by the broken lines at l3, l4, l5 and 16. Thepresent invention is applied as a horizontal sealing means in the formof a gasket at location 13 to block rising warm air currents between thedrape or curtain and the wall during summer and at location 14 to blockdescending cold air currents between the drape or curtain and the wallduring winter. The present invention may be applied at either location13 or location 14 alone, or at both locations simultaneously. As anoption, the present invention may also be applied as a vertical gasketbehind the drape or curtain at locations 15 and 16 to block additionalstray currents of air passing to the right and left.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing the assembly of the presentinvention in detail: 17 is a cross sectional view of the drape orcurtain, I8 is the surface of the wall behind the drape 0r curtain, butcan also represent a continuation of the window as a glass wall, 19 is asoft seal or gasket material and 20 is a means in the form a flexibletape for securing the gasket material to the drape or curtain. Thegasket material 19 is any suitable soft fluffy material which can beeasily compressed into a very flat configuration when a very gentlepressure is applied and which returns to its original shape whenpressure is released, immediately or within a few minutes of the instantat which the pressure is released. A foamed plastic such as polyurathaneof considerably less than one pound per cubic foot density and closedcell construction is preferred, although any suitable substance may beemployed.

The air gasket air seal material 19 must have characteristics compatiblewith the weight and construction of the drape or curtain to which it isto be attached. Thus, a very light density material which will contractupon the application of a very gentle force will be required for a lightweight drape or curtain, whereas, a material of slightly greater densityhaving better air blocking characteristics may be employed with a heavyweight curtain. The gasket air seal material need not be a homogeneousmaterial, but may be fabricated from one or more materials to producethe characteristics described hereinbefore; thus, a light paper, fabricor plastic sheet folded into a cellular construction, a sausagelike skincontaining fibers, or any similar construction may be employed.

The dimensions of the air gasket material must be compatible with thedimensions and configuration of the drape or curtain to which it is tobe attached. Thus, a larger air space between the drape or curtain andthe wall requires a greater width of gasket, and a gasket at location14, will generally require a greater width than a gasket at location 13due to the more pronounced undulations at location 14.

20 is a continuous tape, cut to the desired dimensions, secured togasket material 19, with glue or any other suitable means. The surfaceof tape 20 adjacent to drape or curtain 17, is coated with a strongadhesive material so that the assembly of 19 and 20 can be secured to 17and can be repeatedly removed from 17 and secured to 17. In lieu of anadhesive, any suitable means of continuous fastening, such assnap-buttons or hook-and-loop type fasteners, employing minute, matchingfiber hooks and loops, may be employed to secure the assembly of 19 and20 to 17.

In FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings, like reference characters denotelike parts. FIG. 3 shows the general arrangement with the drape orcurtain closed over the window and 19 expanded so as to block thepassage of air currents, except for small voids. Because of the lowforcecharacteristics of 19, the presence of the gasket has little effect onthe appearance of the drape or curtam.

FIG. 4, shows the drapes compressed to a partially closed position. 19is readily compressed so that the presence of the gasket has littleeffect on the appearance of the drape or curtain.

FIG. 5, shows a common type drape or curtain in which the undulations orpleats are of a minor charac' ter when the drape or curtain is drawnclosed across the window. The gasket 19 assumes its simplest form whenthe drape or curtain is closed over the window, and readily compresseswhen the drape or curtain is pulled open.

The function of this present invention has been demonstrated by a modelconstructed by the inventor. A gasket assembly of 30 inches length withapproximately 2 inches width and 2 inches height was secured to a drapeand tested in the open, partially open and closed positions,demonstrating the principles described herein. The drape used was I. C.Penny Co., PENN PREST pinch-pleated drapes with acrylic foam backing.The gasket material employed was 0.75 pounds per cubic foot polyesterfiber, and the test tape was constructed by stapling two strips of oneinch wide pressure adhesive tape back-to-back.

While the invention has been described with respect to certain specificembodiments, it will be appreciated that many modifications and changesmay be made by those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit of the invention. It is intended, therefore, by the appendedclaim to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within thetrue spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by LettersPatent of the United States is:

1. In combination a curtain for hanging over a window or the likesubject to convective air currents in space between a window or the likeand said curtain, and a sealing means including connecting meansattached to said curtain and extending substantially fully thereacrossto dispose said sealing means in a generally horizontal position inspace between said curtain and adjacent a window or the like when saidcurtain is hung in a position overlying a window or the like, saidsealing means being effective to close a portion of space between saidcurtain and adjacent a window or the like thereby to reduce vertical airflow therefrom, said sealing means being foldable with said curtain.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said sealing meansincludes a soft and low density bulky material.

3. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said sealing meansincludes a readily expansible and contractible material.

4. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said sealing meansincludes a fluffy material readily compressible and resilient.

5. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said connecting meansincludes an elongated flexible tape attached to said curtain and whereinsaid sealing means includes an elongated soft and compressible materialattached to and along said tape.

6. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said connecting meansincludes an elongated flexible tape.

7. The combination according to claim 6 wherein said tape includesadhesive for removable attachment to said curtain.

8. The combination according to claim 1 further comprising anothersealing means substantially identical to said sealing means and spacedtherefrom to dispose one said sealing means above a window or the likeand the other said sealing means below a window or the like wherebyrising warm air flow in the summer and descending cold air flow in thewinter are inhibited.

9. The combination according to claim 2 wherein each said connectingmeans includes an elongated flexible tape attached to said curtain andwherein each said sealing means includes an elongated soft andcompressible material attached respectively to and along said tape.

10. The combination according to claim 8 further comprising a pair ofspaced additional sealing means substantially identical to said one andother sealing means, said pair of additional sealing means eachincluding connecting means attached to said curtain to dispose saidsealing means in a generally vertical position in space between saidcurtain and adjacent a window or the like when said curtain is hung in aposition overlying a window or the like, said pair of spaced verticallydisposed sealing means being located adjacent respective sides of awindow or the like thereby further reducing air flow between saidcurtain and adjacent a window or the like.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said sealing meansincludes a soft and low density bulky material.
 3. The combinationaccording to claim 1 wherein said sealing means includes a readilyexpansible and contractible material.
 4. The combination according toclaim 1 wherein said sealing means includes a fluffy material readilycompressible and resilient.
 5. The combination according to claim 1wherein said connecting means includes an elongated flexible tapeattached to said curtain and wherein said sealing means includes anelongated soft and compressible material attached to and along saidtape.
 6. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said connectingmeans includes an elongated flexible tape.
 7. The combination accordingto claim 6 wherein said tape includes adhesive for removable attachmentto said curtain.
 8. The combination according to claim 1 furthercomprising another sealing means substantially identical to said sealingmeans and spaced therefrom to dispose one said sealing means above awindow or the like and the other said sealing means below a window orthe like whereby rising warm air flow in the summer and descending coldair flow in the winter are inhibited.
 9. The combination according toclaim 2 wherein each said connecting means includes an elongatedflexible tape attached to said curtain and wherein each said sealingmeans includes an elongated soft and compressible material attachedrespectively to and along said tape.
 10. The combination according toclaim 8 further comprising a pair of spaced additional sealing meanssubstantially identical to said one and other sealing means, said pairof additional sealing means each including connecTing means attached tosaid curtain to dispose said sealing means in a generally verticalposition in space between said curtain and adjacent a window or the likewhen said curtain is hung in a position overlying a window or the like,said pair of spaced vertically disposed sealing means being locatedadjacent respective sides of a window or the like thereby furtherreducing air flow between said curtain and adjacent a window or thelike.